1. The Field of the Invention
This present invention relates generally to decorative laminate products and processes, for use in architectural design.
2. Background and Relevant Art
Recent architectural designs have focused on decorative laminate panel products, such as glass or laminate products, which can be used as decorative windows, and as partitions in offices and homes. In particular, decorative laminate panels are now particularly popular compared with decorative glass panels since decorative laminate panels can be manufactured to be more resilient, and to have the same appearance as glass but with less cost. Furthermore, decorative laminate products (or “laminate products”, or “laminates”) more readily enable a recent trend in architectural design of embedding decorative objects within the decorative laminate panel product.
Present laminate products generally used for creating decorative laminate panels comprise polyvinyl chloride, acrylic, poly(methylmethacrylate) or “PMMA”, poly(ethylene-co-cyclohexane 1,4-dimethanol terephthalate) or “PETG”, as well as related polycarbonates. While each of the aforementioned laminates can serve as an appropriate glass substitute, each laminate material varies in physical properties from one material to the next. For example, polycarbonates, PETG, and PMMA are generally received for use in solid sheet form (i.e., extruded). An extruded sheet is generally a solid preformed sheet, such as a solid 4′×8′ PETG sheet (alternatively, 3′×5′ sheet, 5′×10′ sheet, etc.), which ultimately can form a surface of a decorative laminate panel when the panel is in final form. By contrast, acrylic materials used in decorative panels are generally handled in liquid form. The different physical properties ultimately have a result on the manufacturing cost, as well as the ultimate look of the clear product, depending on the application.
To embed decorative objects inside extruded sheets, two or more extruded sheets are pressed and heated around the decorative objects. The final decorative product therefore typically comprises two viewable surfaces of the final decorative laminate panel inside of which can be viewed the decorative objects. Due, however, to the conventional pressure (e.g., 80–100 psi) used to press and set the decorative laminate panel, extruded decorative laminate panels are suited primarily for embedding flat objects, such as flattened leaves, ferns, cutout designs, fabrics, and so forth. Extruded panels, however, are also suited for embedding fairly rigid three-dimensional materials, such as crushed glass or rocks that can withstand the conventional pressure (80 psi or greater).
It would be impossible, however, to embed compressible objects (i.e., relatively soft objects, such as objects that would flatten at pressures of 80 psi or greater), such as thatch, willow reed, straw, coffee beans, twigs, bamboo, and so forth having any measurable diameter, in extruded sheets using the pressure of conventional processing methods. In particular, compressible natural objects would not carry their natural appearance in the final decorative laminate panel since they would be flattened under conventional pressure. Furthermore, when the compressible objects are compressed between the extruded sheets, air bubbles can form that are very difficult to remove. This can result in air bubbles that are easy to see inside the decorative laminate panel, as well as imperfections on the surface of the decorative laminate panel.
By contrast, acrylic decorative panels do not use pressure that would otherwise crush compressible objects. Furthermore, acrylic panels do not have the same difficulty with air bubbles that would be common with decorative laminate panels made by embedding objects between extruded sheets. For example, liquid acrylic can be cast around flat, rigid, or soft and compressible objects, by pouring the liquid acrylic around the desired objects, and then solidifying the acrylic into a hardened panel. The liquid acrylic generally forces out air as it moves around the object. As such, acrylic panels can include a wider variety of objects embedded inside, whether flat, rigid, or soft and compressible natural objects. In particular, the hardened acrylic panel therefore can be viewed having a wide variety of objects inside that have not been flattened, and hence maintain a three-dimensional shape.
Unfortunately, acrylic is not an ideal material for creating decorative panels for use in architectural design. For example, acrylic panels are not every resistant to cracking or shattering compared with some decorative laminate panels made from extruded sheet materials, such as extruded PETG sheets. Furthermore, acrylic panels have a fairly high error rate due to the process of casting (pouring and setting), and are thus more inefficient to produce. For these and other reasons, cast acrylic panels are also much more expensive compared with extruded PETG laminate panels.
Accordingly, an advantage in the art can be realized with decorative laminate panels that combine the benefits of casting materials with the benefits of extruded sheet materials. In particular, an advantage in the art can be realized with decorative laminate panels that have the advantages of being able to embed compressible objects inside the panel without air bubbles, and without significantly flattening the compressible objects. Such decorative laminate panels should also have the advantages of resiliency, ease of manufacture, and should be relatively low in cost.